This invention relates to sewing machines in general, and more particularly to a work feeding mechanism which permits a fabric or garment to be fed past the stitch forming area in directions defined by two mutually orthogonal axes.
Sewing machines having mechanical elements for effecting fabric feeding to the right or left sides of a normal line of feeding are known in the prior art. Such machines frequently employ cams which impart fabric feeding motion to the feed dog through mechanical arrangements which are difficult to manipulate to achieve a variety of intricate stitch patterns. Sewing machines are also known in the prior art which employ linear actuators to permit the production of intricate ornamental stitches from patterns which are stored in electronic memories. See for example U.S. Pat. No. 3,855,956, Dec. 24, 1974, Wurst which is owned by the assignee of this invention and the teachings of which are incorporated herein by reference. While such machines have the capability of producing a wide variety of ornamental stitches, they are not able to produce stitches in which the pattern width, or bight exceeds the maximum relative displacement between the sewing needle and the looptaker at which a stitch may be formed. Additionally, see application Ser. No. 40,021 dated May 18, 1979 which is also owned by the assignee of this invention and the teachings of which are incorporated herein by reference.
Sewing machines are also known in which a periodic swinging of the needle bar, while the needle is penetrating the material being sewn, produces lateral fabric feeding motion to the right or left of the normal line of fabric feeding. See, for instance, U.S. Pat. No. 3,561,382, Feb. 9, 1971, Ketterer. With such work feeding mechanisms however, the ability of the sewing machine to produce zig zag stitch patterns while feeding to the right or left is curtailed.
The above citations comprise what the applicant believes to be the closest art of which he is aware that is relevant to the examination of this application.